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We have raised a lot of CDH Awareness over the years.
From lighting buildings and landmarks such as Niagara Falls (left) to gathering proclamations from all 50 states and the United States Senate, our team has lead the world in raising Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness.
Below are some of the accomplishments we have had in raising CDH Awareness:
- Ringing the Closing Bell on the NYSE
- “Dear Nicholas Sparks” Book
- State Proclamations for all 50 states.
- Parades:
- Washington DC
- Philadelphia
- Dallas
- Chicago
- Raleigh
- Portland
- Seattle
- St Louis
Why April 19th?
On April 1, 2008, a woman filed a trademark on “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness” and “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day” for March 31, which was based on the day she started her own (now defunct) non-profit.
If another group or any patient family wanted to say the phrase “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness” or participate in “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day” without her permission, there were threats of lawsuits. Thus, awareness was no longer about the cause but ownership.
CDH International (then CHERUBS) was threatened several times with lawsuits and with the help of pro bono attorneys and the support of many other non-profits and patient families, filed to remove the trademark on “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness”.
After 2 long years of legal actions and much division caused in the CDH community, the trademark was removed on April 19, 2010. Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness was now free again for all patients, hospitals and organizations.
To celebrate this, and the fact that both trademarks were now gone, the members of ACDHO voted to make April 19th international “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day”. This is a day for everyone to raise CDH Awareness freely, to fundraise for whatever hospital or charity that you want and to celebrate the lives of the patients while working together globally on one day to have a larger voice. Most patients and charities recognize April 19th. Families and hospitals in over 70 countries have participated.
As part of the ACDHO charter, never again will one person or entity try to own CDH Awareness or any part of the cause.
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